There is a high prevalence of hepatic cirrhosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), or chemotherapy-induced hepatic atrophy or hepatosteatosis in patients with liver metastases associated with high risk of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). MRI-SPION radiotherapy planning will facilitate detection and maximize avoidance of residual functionally active hepatic parenchyma from over-the-threshold irradiation thus increasing safety of liver SBRT in patients with pre-existing liver conditions. The investigators have previously demonstrated that liver SBRT with SPECT/CT functional treatment planning utilizing 99mTc sulfur colloid in transplant eligible patients associated with minimal hepatotoxicity and without hastening of advanced hepatic cirrhosis progression while patients await liver transplant. Switching from nuclear medicine to an MR-Linac-SPION based quantitative treatment-planning platform will substantially improve diagnostic accuracy in defining safe volumes of residual functional hepatic parenchyma for liver SBRT planning on MR-Linac.
Setting/Participants: The study will be performed at a single center - Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in a setting of referral-based outpatients within the Allegheny Health (AHN) network. 25 patients with primary and metastatic liver tumors and hepatic cirrhosis eligible for liver SBRT will be enrolled in this study. Study Interventions and Measures: MRI cellular imaging of hepatic parenchyma with SPION will be performed on a 1.5T MRI (Elekta MR-Linac) on the day of radiotherapy planning. Hepatic SPION accumulation will be quantified and delineated to designate volumes for conformal avoidance on the MR-Linac during liver SBRT. This quantitative assessment will be compared to the already established methodology using CT/SPECT images developed at AGH. Treatment outcomes and toxicity due to improved conformal avoidance of functional normal liver volumes will be assessed for these patients. Dose-response of tumor and hepatic parenchyma to SBRT will be examined using MR-Linac imaging, pathologic criteria and molecular profiling of explanted livers in a subset of patients who received liver SBRT as a bridge to transplant. Main outcome of the study: Development and evaluation of a novel MRI-Linac based functional treatment planning platform with DICOM-compatible applications for visualization and subsequent conformal avoidance of residual, functionally active hepatic parenchyma in patients undergoing liver SBRT to primary and metastatic malignancies with the assessment of tumor and hepatic parenchyma response using MR imaging correlated with both pathologic and genomic criteria in a subset of patients receiving SBRT as a bridge to liver transplant.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
40
This is a prospective observation study of 1.5T MR-Linac-SPION imaging with Ferumoxytol for radiotherapy planning in patients with pre-existing liver condition in order to increase safety of liver SBRT with assessment of tumor and hepatic parenchyma response.
Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Develop a platform to maintain liver functionality during treatment for liver cancer
The primary goal of the study is to develop MRI-linac SPION based radiotherapy planning platform for detection and conformal avoidance of residual, functionally active hepatic parenchyma during liver SBRT for primary and metastatic hepatic malignancies in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. Treatment outcomes and toxicity due to improved conformal avoidance of functional normal liver volumes will be assessed for these patients. Progression in Child-Pugh and MELD scores, disease free survival, and overall survival (with and without liver transplant) will be evaluated via Kaplan Meier analysis. Freedom from MELD score progression will be measured against residual volumes of functionally active hepatic parenchyma defined on MRI-linac SPION via Cox proportional hazard regression models. Statistical analysis will be conducted with MedCalc version 11.3.
Time frame: Two Years
Develop applications for assessing the liver functionality of those with liver cancer
MRI and planning CT images will be co-registered using deformable image registration, and volumes with SPIO accumulation will be delineated as avoidance structures by the physician and clinical physicist. DICOM-compatible applications will be developed for contouring and quantitative assessment of functionally active volumes of hepatic parenchyma obtained from MR-Linac-SPIO images with subsequent conformal avoidance in the beam placement process during 3-D Conformal radiotherapy planning. A non-contrast enhanced liver MR images will be acquired per fraction with propagation of the previously identified avoidance volumes in the adapted plans. Follow-up MR-imaging of the patients will be obtained to assess tumor and hepatic parenchyma response treatment.
Time frame: Two Years
Examine the dose-response of tumor and liver tissue in patients who received liver transplant after receiving SBRT
The dose-response of tumor and hepatic parenchyma to SBRT will be examined using MR imaging (on MR-Linac), pathologic criteria and molecular profiling of explanted livers in a subset of patients who received liver SBRT as a bridge to transplant. In patients undergoing liver transplant MRI data sets will be merged with 3D dosimetry data and evaluated by a clinical physicist. Radiographic liver responses will be compared with explant liver pathology. The pathologic and genomic analysis will document both tumor and hepatic parenchymal response to SBRT. The chronology of tumor and hepatic parenchymal response and regeneration to radiotherapy will be evaluated. Initial 3D dosimetry will be combined with the pathologic assessment to determine any dose threshold for healthy liver regeneration following SBRT with MR-Linac SPION functional imaging.
Time frame: Two Years
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